Physician hiring: How long it takes to fill positions for 10 specialties

November 4, 2019

Chris Mazzolini is the editorial director of Medical Economics

Physician recruitment and hiring is taking longer than ever before, according to a new report

Physician recruitment and hiring is taking longer than ever before, according to a new benchmarking report from the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment.The report, released October 29, found that family practice, internal medicine and hospitalists are the most sought-after, thus making them the most competitive searches to fill.Below is a slideshow detailing 10 specialties in terms of percentage of positions filled in 2018-the most recent year data is available-and how many days it took to fill the position.The specialties are ranked in order of how long it takes recruiters to fill the positions.

10. General pediatrics

% of positions filled in 2018: 52%
How many days to fill: 92 days

9. Urgent Care

% of positions filled in 2018: 69%
How many days to fill: 112 days

8. Internal Medicine

% of positions filled in 2018: 49%
How many days to fill: 115 days

7. Pediatrics: Non-surgical

% of positions filled in 2018: 55%
How many days to fill: 124 days

6. General Ob/Gyn

% of positions filled in 2018: 57%
How many days to fill: 125 days

5. Hospitalist

% of positions filled in 2018: 68%
How many days to fill: 144 days

4. Cardiology

% of positions filled in 2018: 51%
How many days to fill: 147 days

3. Psychiatry

% of positions filled in 2018: 44%
How many days to fill: 180 days

2. Neurology

% of positions filled in 2018: 40%
How many days to fill: 186 days

1. Family medicine

% of positions filled in 2018: 50%
How many days to fill: 227 days